Describe Yourself In An Interview: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

What are your key personality traits?
How did you developed it?
How it has helped you in career?
Have you faced personality testing challenges?

51 unique answers with expert feedback

What specific skills did you gain from your internship at Gale India Limited?

During my internship, I honed my analytical skills, particularly in financial modeling and valuation techniques. I also improved my ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines, as well as my communication skills through presenting my findings to the team.

How has your experience with Finitiative influenced your career goals?

Being an executive member of Finitiative has enhanced my leadership and organizational skills. It has also deepened my understanding of the finance industry, helping me to network with professionals and clarify my career aspirations in financial analysis and consulting.

Can you share a challenge you faced during your studies and how you overcame it?

One significant challenge was balancing my coursework with my internship and extracurricular activities. I overcame this by developing a strict schedule, prioritizing tasks, and learning to say no to less important commitments, which helped me manage my time effectively.

Band 7

00:00

My name is Kushala and I'm currently pursuing my final year engineering degree in SJB, IT Bangalore and I'm currently studying electronics and communication engineering. The reason why I chose this is because of my interest in the internet of things and networking fields which inspires me to solve any kind of problem that arises in my life. And I'm a simple yet extraordinary person who has a lot of dreams and goals in mind to achieve in life. The reason why I consider myself extraordinary is because of my beautiful parents who supports me in everything. Now I'm going to take an extraordinary step that is the higher education and I'm going to go abroad and study masters in Germany.

Follow up questions

What inspired your interest in electronics and communication engineering?

My interest in electronics and communication engineering was sparked by my fascination with technology and how it connects people. I was particularly drawn to the internet of things, as it represents the future of connectivity and innovation, allowing us to solve real-world problems.

Can you share more about your dreams and goals for the future?

I have several dreams and goals, including completing my master's degree in Germany, gaining international experience, and eventually working in a leading tech company. I aspire to contribute to advancements in technology that improve people's lives and make a positive impact on society.

How do your parents support your educational journey?

My parents have always been my biggest supporters. They encourage me to pursue my passions and provide me with the resources I need to succeed. Their belief in my abilities motivates me to strive for excellence and achieve my goals, especially as I prepare for my studies abroad.

Band 7

00:00

First of all, I'll start with my name. My name is Ansh Parikh and I've completed my bachelor's from Karnataka University. I've spent my bachelor's year in understanding English literature and psychology. Now, I will speak about my personality aspects. One thing that I would like to describe at first is I am a really good listener. Throughout my lectures, I've experienced this that I was able to take actively part in active listening. Not only active listening has helped me to understand and comprehend the topic, but it has also gave me the ability to explain the learned topic to other people. My second personality trait would be memorizing things. I've realized that I have developed a presence of mind where I am able to recall parts of various subjects and accumulate them and provide a very constructive argument. My third personality aspect would be me making topics easier for the other people. Through this skill, I'm able to present any topic in a format where an average person could understand and learn it very easily. Throughout my psychological journey, I've came across many testing modules where I've constantly took part in tests that has provided me insights about my personality.

Follow up questions

How do you think being a good listener benefits you in your studies?

Being a good listener has greatly enhanced my understanding of complex topics. It allows me to grasp nuances during lectures and engage in meaningful discussions, which ultimately leads to better retention of information and improved academic performance.

Can you share an example of how you simplify complex topics for others?

Certainly! For instance, when explaining psychological theories, I often use analogies and real-life examples. This approach helps my peers relate to the concepts better, making it easier for them to grasp and remember the material.

What strategies do you use to improve your memorization skills?

I employ various techniques such as mnemonic devices, visualization, and spaced repetition. These strategies help me retain information more effectively and recall it when needed, especially during exams or discussions.

Practice other cue cards

Describe a person you know who has chosen a career in the medical field (e.g. a doctor, a nurse)

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Describe an indoor or outdoor place where it is easy for you to study

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Describe an occasion when someone gave you positive advice or suggestions about your work/study

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Describe a job that is useful to society

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Describe a person you have met who you want to work/study with

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Describe a person you would like to study or work with

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Describe An English Class Lesson That You Enjoyed

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Describe A Course That Impressed You A Lot

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Describe A Job That You Think Is Interesting

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Describe A Rule That Is Important In Your School Or At Work

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Describe a book you read that you found useful

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Band 6-7

00:00

I consider myself as an engineering professional with a mindset of a 9 year experience graduate with just 6 years of professional experience. The major quality that I have is the adaptability, I can adapt to any situation and any work that I am assigned to. As you can see in my resume, I started my career as a project engineer and then I became a project lead, after that I was given a task to do the project production as well. Now I am in the production sector where I look after the business as well as the operation as well. So, in whatever field I was put by my company, I could excel in every areas. The second thing and the foremost thing that supports my adaptability is the perseverance. If I take a job, I just do that in wholeheartedly with that persevering nature, I can complete any task in any time and I do have a great quality of work ownership as well. And through this work ownership, I have built a leadership quality and as you can see I am as of now leading a company with around 70 people and the company is believing in me giving such a great responsibility for just a 6 year experience candidate. If I am in a different company, I would just be in a mid senior level, whereas in my present company I am in the senior most position of a vertical as well. So with that I always think like you know, if you or if your company is exploiting yourself, you should exploit them as well, learning all the things that you need and

Follow up questions

What specific challenges have you faced in your engineering career?

Throughout my career, I've faced various challenges, such as tight deadlines and resource constraints. One significant challenge was leading a project with limited manpower. I had to adapt quickly, prioritize tasks, and motivate my team to meet our goals, which ultimately strengthened my leadership skills.

How do you maintain work-life balance while leading a team?

Maintaining work-life balance is crucial for productivity. I set clear boundaries by scheduling my work hours and ensuring I take breaks. I also encourage my team to do the same, promoting a healthy work environment where we can all recharge and stay motivated.

Can you give an example of a project where your adaptability was tested?

Certainly! I once worked on a project where the client changed requirements midway. I had to quickly adapt our strategy, reallocate resources, and communicate effectively with my team to meet the new expectations. This experience reinforced my belief in the importance of flexibility in engineering.

Band 6-7

00:00

So, I would like to introduce myself, I would say that I am a person who has some characteristics like I am a very confident person, I also believe that I have a helping mindset towards offering support to my colleagues and my friends and also I consider myself as a benevolent person because I have taken part in lot of charity and other non-profit initiatives. Now these skills, I was able to brush up and learn them especially from my family. I would say that my family is more or less a part of a charity organization and we do a lot of charities but other than that I would also say that I was able to acquire this from my school. I remember during my school days we used to conduct a lot of non-profit initiatives, we used to clean the beach and also help other people, you know deliver poor people with the right necessities and food etc. Also I had similar initiatives in my college, so that was how I was able to brush up on my skills and overall all of these skills have helped me to boost my level of success because having more, because like the above skills has contributed significantly to my ability to succeed and also my ability to show empathy which is very good for jobs. Also I was able to make better friends because I was able to find people who have similar interests as mine in this industry and on yes on many occasions I have suffered quite a lot to apply these skills but I also know that I have to do it because you know resilience is very important factor and I believe that resilience is what has helped me to achieve whatever I could in my life.

Follow up questions

How do you think your confidence has helped you in your career?

My confidence has allowed me to take on challenges and present my ideas effectively. It helps me to communicate better with colleagues and superiors, which is essential in a professional environment. This has led to opportunities for leadership roles and has positively impacted my career growth.

Can you share a specific charity initiative you participated in?

One memorable initiative was a beach cleanup organized by my school. We gathered volunteers, collected trash, and raised awareness about environmental issues. It was rewarding to see the immediate impact of our efforts and to bond with classmates over a shared goal of helping our community.

What role does resilience play in your personal and professional life?

Resilience is crucial for overcoming setbacks and challenges. In my personal life, it helps me bounce back from failures, while in my professional life, it enables me to persist through difficult projects. This quality has been instrumental in achieving my goals and maintaining a positive outlook.

Show all 51 answers

Cue 1:What are your key personality traits?

Identify two or three key traits that define you, such as being hardworking, adaptable, or a good communicator.
Provide specific examples or situations that demonstrate these traits in action.

Example

I would describe myself as a hardworking and adaptable person. For instance, during my last job, I often took on extra responsibilities to ensure our projects were completed on time. This not only helped my team succeed but also allowed me to learn new skills.

Cue 2:How did you develop it?

Discuss experiences or influences that shaped your personality traits, such as education, family, or work experiences.
Mention any specific challenges you faced and how you overcame them to develop these traits.

Example

I developed my adaptability through various experiences in college. I was part of a student organization where we often faced unexpected challenges, like last-minute changes in event planning. Learning to think on my feet in those situations helped me become more flexible and resourceful.

Cue 3:How has it helped you in your career?

Explain how your personality traits have positively impacted your professional life.
Provide examples of situations where these traits led to success or recognition at work.

Example

My hardworking nature has helped me achieve several promotions in my career. For example, when I worked on a critical project, my dedication and attention to detail were recognized by my manager, which led to me being entrusted with more significant responsibilities.

Cue 4:Have you faced personality testing challenges?

Share any experiences with personality tests during interviews and how you felt about them.
Discuss how you approached these tests and what you learned from them.

Example

Yes, I have faced personality testing challenges during interviews. Initially, I found them quite daunting, but I learned to view them as an opportunity to reflect on my strengths and weaknesses. For instance, one test highlighted my tendency to be overly critical of myself, which I have since worked on to maintain a more balanced perspective.

Conclusion

Example

In conclusion, my key personality traits of hard work and adaptability have been instrumental in shaping my career. They have not only helped me overcome challenges but also allowed me to grow and succeed in my professional journey.

Following this structure will ensure you cover all the essential points while providing a clear and engaging response to the cue card topic.

Tips to answer this Cue Card

1: Being Vague About Traits

Candidates often give vague answers without specific examples. This makes it hard for the examiner to understand your personality.

Tip

Provide clear examples of your traits, such as being 'organized' and explain how this trait manifests in your daily work.

2: Neglecting Personal Development

Some candidates fail to explain how they developed their traits, which can make their answers seem superficial.

Tip

Discuss specific experiences or challenges that helped shape your personality traits, such as teamwork or leadership roles.

Ignoring Career Impact

Candidates often overlook how their personality traits have positively influenced their careers, missing a key aspect of the question.

Tip

Link your traits to specific career achievements or situations where they helped you succeed, demonstrating their relevance.

IELTS Cue Cards asked last week

Reported by Leap students who gave IELTS

Describe your favourite food at a traditional festival or a special event in your country

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7.5

Pitampura Test Centre, New Delhi

Answer

I like to taste different types of cuisine. Here I would like to talk about my favorite dish at my traditional festival of Onam which is Sadya. Sadya is popular in my city. We are experimenting these cuisines on Onam festival day. Onam is a famous festival in my city. All family members get together in my home and we make a delicious Sadya. There are many ingredients includes that Sadya. Moreover, we make a big feast that day as well as we create a lot of memories together and we wear that day the traditional dress called Sari and men wear the Dhotis. That festival is really important to us because the whole day we are conducting different kinds of games at our homes and all the family members came together. It's a memorable day in my life. This is the festival. We are making the Sambar and Aviyal. These all the kinds of foods are making with the vegetables.

Talk about a toy you liked in your childhood

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 8

Sector 34 Test Centre, Chandigarh

Answer

The toy which I liked in my childhood was a panda doll, which makes me pleasant and makes me more blush. The pandas are the most beautiful creatures of the world, which looks gigantic and has pooshy cheeks and they are like stars in the clouds and they dream in me. Furthermore, these have been given by my father. My father is a very very beautiful artistic person, who makes me think of that. Every day you will face every difficulties and make you suffer and move forward. Pandas are always seen in Japanese countries. It is my lifelong dream to visit a Japanese country and click a photo with the original pandas, which makes sounds better.

Describe a time you were in a place where you didn't know the local language

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 6.5

Whitefield Test Center, Bengaluru

Answer

As India is a very large country full of diversity, so there are many places which have their own language and speak their native language. The place which I visited and I didn't know about their language was Leladakh, which is about 300 km away from my hometown and it is a very good place as it consists of different kind of trees, animals and have many scenic views and I visited over there last year in summers as it was the best time to visit because it has many, it was cold over there and we had summers in our area so it was the best time to visit over there and I went over there with my whole family.

Describe a time when your friend damaged something you owned

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7

Begumpet Test Centre, Hyderabad

Answer

When I was a kid, I had a little pencil box which had these four buttons which gave the pencil box an operative use. When you press the button, the box would open up. When you press the second button, a little part of it would slide out. Basically it was just a little electronical and a fun thing to have and I owned it when I was in 6th. One day after break, I was standing and talking there with one of my friends and another friend of mine was running through the hallway and accidentally she pushed my shoulder and my pencil box hit the ground and it broke into multiple pieces to the point that it was not functional anymore.

Describe a book you recently read

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7.5

CBD Belapur Test Centre, Navi Mumbai

Answer

It Ends With Us is a book I read recently. It's by the author Colleen Hoare. It's mainly a story about two teenagers, Atlas and Lily, and how they just handle their life going through high school, adolescence, and just domestic violence at home. Both of them come from very, very different families. However, they have one common determining factor between them, which is domestic violence. The abuse that they've seen their moms go through is just insane, and they connect through that on a different level. They're actually in the same high school, but they never speak to each other until Atlas actually crashes into an empty house next to Lily's villa. When Atlas is homeless and he doesn't have anywhere to go, he just comes and breaks into the house next to Lily's, and Lily helps him with all the daily necessities like clothes and food, medicines and stuff. Furthermore, their friendship blossoms into love, but it doesn't really fructify as Atlas has to leave. This book really gave me a lot of knowledge about domestic abuse and how to deal with it.